Executive Director, Creative

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

THE ROLE:

The role of Executive Director, Creative is an integral part of DEPT® leadership and provides oversight of all areas of the DEPT®’s creative work for an industry-leading AI client to ensure that large-scale creative solutions are developed and meet and even exceed the client's needs. You are not only a master of the creative and design process, including a strong understanding of performance media, but also of short and long-term planning, the setting of goals, developing and driving the company’s creative vision, and evolving and improving the company’s design aesthetic for an industry-leading AI client. This also involves ensuring that the organization’s talent is in place and performing at a level that will continue to improve and grow the business. You are leadership-focused, detail-oriented, excellent at multitasking, hyper-focused on efficiency, and eager to implement change and make things come to life. 

This special someone will regularly exercise discretion and independent judgment and will lead the company's creative and design teams in the development of digital experiences, e-commerce, and content for an industry-leading AI client, as well as lifestyle and technology categories, to create solutions that deeply connect with people. You love positioning brands to matter in culture, and you possess a strong design intuition, expertise in user experiences across the web, and strong strategic thinking skills. You will work closely with others on the leadership team to develop and implement the overall strategy for the organization to ensure the continued health of the company. You strive to assist all parts of the organization in making good business decisions, and you take pride in the success of the company and its employees. You will be dealing with multiple personality types, and need to be able to adapt based on the person you are working with and communicating with. 

In your role, you will report to the SVP Creative, who drives the overall strategy and direction for the company. You will support the strategic goals of the company by focusing on and assisting with meeting the short and long-term objectives of the organization.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• As part of the DEPT®’s embedded client leadership team, assist in formulating the company’s future direction for an industry-leading AI client, strategy, vision, and overall business plan.
• Directly supervise the Creative team across the organization and work to develop them to ensure a high level of performance.
• Responsible for ensuring that the company hires, retains, and develops the best creative talent and continues to provide a culture that emphasizes collaboration, professional growth, and a strong desire to provide the great products and customer service that the organization is known for.
• Oversee and lead digital experiences and solutions from conception through implementation.
• Partner with cross-functional client teams to define project strategy and translate strategy to the development of creative concepts and content ideas.
• Help to develop creative ideas that can extend across all digital platforms to drive results for our clients.
• Ensure that the company delivers services and products that always exceed the clients’ expectations, foreseeing any issues and developing solutions to prevent future disruptions to client satisfaction.
• Contribute to new business efforts, including networking, vision, strategy, creative output, and agency representation.
• Develop and deliver engaging presentations for internal and external audiences.
• Work across all departments of B/D® and other stakeholders, including the clients if needed, to achieve the desired results and meet company objectives.
• Provide leadership to the team, including putting the client and the team before yourself.
• Responsible for bringing a point-of-view with fresh perspectives to the team. 
• Ability to navigate ambiguous situations and solve problems by being optimistic and using proactive thought processes and skills.
• Ensure that projects come in within deadlines and the specified budget. 
• Identify the decision makers within the client's organization and use excellent interpersonal skills to grow and maintain these relationships.
• Work across all departments of DEPT®, the client, and other stakeholders to achieve the desired results and meet the objectives of the company.
• Support and grow in the role by actively seeking out and proposing ideas to improve company operations and profitability.
• Stay current on industry trends, best practices, and technology.

WHAT YOU BRING:

• 12+ years of proven track record of leadership in multi-million dollar digital marketing organizations. 
• Demonstrates excellent leadership, strategic vision, and creative inspiration to foster a cohesive and motivated team from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, with strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Strong knowledge of visual design, user-centered experience design, interaction design, brand development, and the creative process.
• Strong understanding of performance media and the iterative process to take learnings and apply them to the creative process.
• A love for typography, interaction, traditional graphic design, and technology.
• Strong skills in modern design and prototyping tools.
• A solid point-of-view and a collaborative nature.
• A diverse sense of taste with the knowledge necessary to apply this to various challenges.
• Passion for hardware, AI, and technology products.
• Ability to be self-motivated to learn and stay current with emerging technologies, as well as the ability to teach others.
• A long history of building strong relationships with colleagues, vendors/contractors, and business partners.
• An open and curious mind in all areas of creative and design work, and the ability to remain positive even in the most challenging of situations.
• Possesses strategic thinking and high-level problem-solving abilities to assess and address current and future company needs.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to communicate information, whether technical or non-technical, to clients and employees clearly and concisely.
• Excellent organizational skills and a very high level of attention to detail, including tracking, recording, documenting, and saving all information, processes, and procedures, and searching for and proposing process efficiencies.
• High level of ability to set goals and priorities in a constantly changing environment and to work under tight deadlines.
• Excellent public speaking skills with the ability to develop plans, build presentations, and comfortably present them professionally and effectively to those outside and within the organization.
• Ability to maintain a positive attitude even in the most challenging of situations.
• Rigorous analytical skills with the ability to review a large amount of information quickly and summarize it in a very organized and efficient manner.
• Comfort navigating a complex organization with multiple stakeholders. 
• Communicates effectively one-on-one and in large groups.
• Ability to travel regularly for domestic and international travel to maintain new business initiatives and build client relationships.
  
  

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our  benefits package:

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step. 

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

Learn more about DEPT®

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. 

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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